TODAY'S ISSUE
Gwinnett resident remembers his friend, William Rehnquist
By William C. O'Kelley
Senior Judge
U.S. District Court for North Georgia
Special to GwinnettForum.com

SEPT. 9, 2005 -- It is indeed an honor and privilege for me to have had a personal relationship with William H. Rehnquist, the now former Chief Justice of the United States. I pause to state that he was sensitive of the title. The proper title was not the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court but of the United States, for his responsibilities and duties related not just to the Supreme Court but also to the entire federal judiciary.

O'Kelley

I will not reiterate any of the biographical data that has been repeated so much by the media in recent days. My acquaintance with the Chief Justice did not take place until after he was in the office. I had served on many committees and special courts under the previous Chief Justice (Warren Burger) and was in a position to observe the manner and operations of both within the federal judiciary.

Chief Justice Rehnquist immediately set about to review, revise, and improve the administration of the courts and governing bodies thereof. The Judicial Conference of the United States is essentially the governing body of the federal judiciary. It is presided over by the Chief Justice. Chief Justice Rehnquist substantially changed and improved its procedures and ran its proceedings in a manner such that everyone could be thoroughly heard, yet in a very efficient manner.

He appointed me to the Board of the Federal Judicial Center, which is the educational arm of the federal judiciary. That was a board of six people presided over again by the Chief Justice. We would meet four times a year, three of which were in Washington and one usually away from Washington. We would have the occasion to visit together socially, play tennis, have dinner together, and otherwise have very long visits and become very well acquainted.

Rehnquist

I recall that on one occasion at a board meeting at a hotel in Florida, the chief justice and I had the tennis court reserved for a two-hour period. About halfway through that time, a man and woman appeared and claimed the tennis court. They obviously had no knowledge of who was playing, and the Chief made no issue over the matter, even though we had another hour reserved on the court. He politely surrendered it to them. As we walked away, someone questioned if the couple realized whom they had just run off.

The chief justice was a very private person in many respects. He did not like the security that was thrust upon him by the U.S. marshals. I think that he felt that it left an air of imperialism, which he did not care for. I often found him to be ill at ease in social settings, yet he was always warm and friendly with my wife, Teeny, and me. In fact, at social settings he would pick us out to dine at his table or to ride in my car rather than in the marshal's limousine. One must remember that the position is a lonely one, and many times after a committee meeting in his dining room at the Supreme Court, he would want to sit and converse with the judges informally. He was very dedicated to the judiciary and worked very hard in his role. He was a strong advocate in support of judicial independence and for improving the compensation of judges. In these roles he took a very strong role of leadership.

Chief Justice Rehnquist has had a strong influence upon the Court, both administratively and ideologically. He will be missed but long remembered, and I am pleased to be able to call him a friend.

ELLIOTT BRACK
Peachtree Corners already has useful designation: 30092
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

SEPT. 9, 2005 -- Somewhat as predicted here, the talk now has begun over whether Peachtree Corners should incorporate itself into a city. It's an outgrowth of the long-term efforts to incorporate Sandy Springs as its own city, getting Legislative approval to change Georgia law to allow it. Prior to the Sandy Springs move, cities had a geographic limit of how far they could be from another city's limits.

Now all this is turned over by the Sandy Springs initiative.

Whether Peachtree Corners should become a city is up to its residents. Some say it should; others think it's just another level of government not needed.

At least people are beginning to think this question through, and coming up with innovations.

There's one aspect to the identity of Peachtree Corners that residents of the area should realize. The area already has a Zip Code from the Post Office, the 30092 area. Many communities (such as Sugar Hill or Mountain Park) do not have as defined a Zip Code as does Peachtree Corners.

Of course, right now Zip Code 30092 is under the designation as "Norcross." Yet it is a distinct identity, generally the area of "Norcross" west of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, generally all the way to the Chattahoochee River, and west of East Jones Bridge Road.

If Peachtree Corners residents really don't want another overlay of government, but seek to distinguish themselves from the rest of "Norcross," a postal designation might be just the ticket. All needed would be to convince the powers-that-be within the Postal Service that Peachtree Corners deserves its own identity in postal circles. It would be much like the identity that Tucker gets from the Post Office: its own Zip Code, though it is not incorporated as a municipality.

Then there would be no worry about another level of taxation, nor of the need to attend City Council meetings, nor even worry about who to vote for in a mayor's race.

Of course, some of those people wanting to have a city in the Peachtree Corners area could envision themselves as the mayor, or even council person, and therefore very much want the designation of the area as a municipality. They would not be content with a mere postal designation to identify their community. They want much more.

Meanwhile, the Zip Code 30071 is centered within the City of Norcross, though it also extends all the way from Peachtree Industrial Boulevard on the west, to Interstate 85 on the east, much larger than the city limits of Norcross.

If Peachtree Corners (30092), got its own designation, all this might lead the City of Norcross officials to consider another move. Right now Norcross is also the identification of the address of people living west of Interstate 85. And Gwinnett police officials tell us that the highest crime rate in Gwinnett comes from near the intersection of Jimmy Carter Boulevard and Singleton-Norcross Tucker Road. That gives a black eye, some indicate, to the rest of Norcross, sullying its name.

If that's the case, perhaps the area west of Interstate 85 needs to have its own name associated with that Zip Code, which is 30093. Unfortunately, there is no one name associated with this area, which is essentially between the Norcross and Lilburn. Perhaps someone can come up with an identity for these residents, who also might also like a postal recognition.

All this begs a question. Ah, what's in a name?

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McLEMORE'S WORLD
9/9: Some never recognize disaster

Another great cartoon from Bill McLemore:

UPCOMING
9/9: Two Gwinnett parks on target to get major improvements

Construction will begin soon on improvements at George Pierce Park on Buford Highway near Suwanee. The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners awarded a contract recently to Juneau Construction for a new community center building with a special wing for seniors. The park will also get new trails, two new outdoor basketball courts and additional parking. An official groundbreaking ceremony for the building will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005.

Lucky Shoals Park on Britt Road near Norcross will also be getting a new community center and gymnasium, similar to the facilities at Bogan Park. The Board approved a design contract with Sutton Architectural Services, Inc. using funds from the 2005 SPLOST. The Lucky Shoals project is budgeted at $5.3 million.

The George Pierce Park community center will feature a large multipurpose room along with five smaller rooms for classes, exercise, art and games. The 16,000 square-foot building also includes a catering kitchen, outdoor terrace and covered entrance.

An attached, 9,500 square-foot wing for senior activities includes a large meeting room, kitchen, art studio and computer room with additional space for billiards and a reading room. A HUD Community Development Block Grant is paying for almost $1.5 million of the total $6.8 million approximate cost of the building. The rest is funded by the 2001 special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST.

New parking areas will be added near the playground and pavilion at the lake and near the five soccer fields. A new 12-foot wide asphalt trail will circle the community center and seven baseball/softball fields and connect to an existing trail.

NOTABLE
9/9: County seeks establishment of Streambank Mitigation Bank

Gwinnett County will establish a Streambank and Wetlands Mitigation Bank if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves an application authorized by the Board of Commissioners.

A mitigation bank provides a way for property owners who damage streams and wetlands to compensate by using or purchasing credits generated by nearby restoration projects.

Various watershed protection projects would earn credits for Gwinnett County. State permits and regulations require many such measures. Gwinnett currently has a backlog of several million dollars' worth of projects. With the new mitigation bank, the County would use its credits to offset the impact of other projects where it will damage wetlands or streambanks. The County can also sell its credits to private developers.

Federal regulations allow mitigation banks to be owned by either public or private entities, but credits only apply in or near the impacted watershed. State permits require Gwinnett to impose watershed protection rules on new development and to restore streams that do not meet water quality standards. Many of those requirements are conditions of Gwinnett's permit to discharge reclaimed wastewater to state waterways.

The board's action authorizes the Public Utilities department to submit an application to the Corps, which will issue a public notice, take comments from state and federal agencies and the public, suggest any needed changes in the documents, and finally rule on the application.

Duluth museum calendar to honor Macon photographer

The Atlanta Chapter, National Railway Historical Society's 2006 pictorial calendar is being dedicated to the late Hugh M. Comer of Macon. A charter member of the chapter, Mr. Comer passed away October 2, 2001. All photos in the calendar feature steam locomotives and were taken by Mr. Comer between 1937 and 1955. These photos, which he considered among his best, were kept in albums along with captions and comments.

Mr. Comer graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University and Harvard Business School. He was employed by Bibb Manufacturing Co. from 1938 until he retired in 1980 as vice president of finance. He served in the South Pacific with the U.S. Navy in World War II where he obtained the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

His greatest avocation was his complete knowledge of steam locomotives, spending many hours photographing passenger and freight trains, mostly in the southeastern United States. Numerous photographs by Mr. Comer, taken with either a Graflex or Speed Graphic camera, have been published in railroad magazines, calendars, and historical books of railroading.

Calendars are $9 (including postage) and may be ordered by calling 770-495-0253 x1, via the Southeastern Railway Museum website (www.srmduluth.org) or by stopping by the gift shop at the Southeastern Railway Museum off Buford Highway in Duluth. The Society operates the museum.

REVIEW

• An invitation: What Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb
  
  
  

GEORGIA TIDBIT
99: Non-natives give insight into life in state of Georgia

Some of the most insightful and widely read depictions of Georgia were written by men and women who were neither native to nor residents of the state. Their work, both fictional and non-fictional, includes several of the most popular books in Georgia literature. Yet in other cases their treatments have been harsh and unflattering, and Georgians have resented the negative portrayals of themselves, their communities, or the state itself. The controversy generated by such reactions often served to make these works more influential than they otherwise would have been in shaping perceptions of Georgia and the South.

Books that have inspired controversy range from first-person critiques of slavery (by Fanny Kemble) and of convict-lease labor (by Robert Burns and John Spivak) to recent best-selling exposés of contemporary urban life in Savannah (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and Atlanta (A Man in Full). Both Jean Toomer and Margaret Walker were inspired to write about the lives of their African American ancestors from Georgia in major works of fiction, Cane and Jubilee respectively, and Alice Randall generated considerable news when she satirized the preeminent work in Georgia literature by telling its story from a black perspective (The Wind Done Gone).

These books concerning Georgia include:

Cane, by Jean Toomer.
I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang!, by Robert Elliott Burns.
Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839, by Fanny Kemble
Georgia Nigger, by John Spivak.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Jubilee, by Margaret Walker
A Man in Full, by Tom Wolfe.
The Wind Done Gone, by Alice Randall

• To access the Georgia Encyclopedia, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
  
  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Position to put yourself once you realized a mistake

"To make mistakes is human; to stumble is commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity."

-- William Arthur Ward, via Roy McCreary, Dacula

• Another invitation: What's your favorite saying? Share with others through GwinnettForum. Send to elliott@gwinnettforum.com.
  

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